Plans laid so ...

... lets get on with it!!!

I've finally finalised the passage planning for the outward leg of the cruise - there's little point in planning the return leg at this stage since so much depends on how far we get and where we end up by next Friday (by which time we must be heading back to base assuming we ever get out in the first place).

It's looking extremely unlikely that we'll have Mark with us now due to his employers shafting him on his holiday. That leaves us a bit short-handed for the ambitious plans we had to go non-stop from Fambridge to points a long way North.

The plan hasn't, fundamentally, changed but the mindset has to some extent. Although the passage plan is still based on the notion of running non-stop for three or four days from Fambridge to Sunderland there is a tacit assumption that we'll be bailing out for a few hours sleep along the way and various diversions and alternatives have been set up for that purpose.

Then, of course, there is the ever present imponderable of the weather. The wind forecast, and that's the bit we're really bothered about (who cares if it rains? We've got foulies!) is shaping up much better than it was looking.

Broadly speaking, by Saturday lunchtime we should have fair winds and it mostly stays from roughly South West for most of the week. There might be a couple of days later in the week, by which time we ought, if things go to plan, be heading back South, when the wind is foul but then it's predicted to come back in our favour again.

What's more, there's not too much of it forecast by and large. Again, there is a matching two day spell of 20kt plus forecast at the same time as it goes round to the South East which is not what we want to see really but no gales are predicted by any of the models.

I wouldn't put much faith in the forecasts beyond four or five days out but it does look like a promising start at any rate. Given how much time we've spent firmly nailed to the pontoon at Fambridge going nowhere at all due to blasted gales that will be a distinct improvement!

Now all there is to do on the passage planning front is to transfer all the data from my big laptop to the boat laptop and upload the routes to the GPS and my bat phone.

Next big job is shopping for supplies. Need to do that today to get it delivered tomorrow as I don't want to be mucking about with shopping deliveries on Friday